Chuck versus Abandonment
by TheWriterPersonWhoWritesStuff
Summary: Sarah leaves her baby boy in the care of a trustworthy friend to keep him safe from the spy world. 13 years later, she returns to collect him to take him back home. Charah. Review and stuff, please. Chapter 2 has been modified, since before it was crap.
1. Prologue Abandoning the Son

_Author's Note: This is my 3__rd__ Chuck fanfic. Please take a look at the other ones; they're not that bad. This one is based on an idea I had whilst playing football/soccer/whatever you want to call it. Anyway, this here, is the PROLOGUE._

**ENGLAND, SURREY 2010**

Sarah hoped he would understand when he grew up. She didn't want him to hate her later. It was 5:00pm, English time, and she was holding her little baby boy against her as tightly as she could without hurting him. She smiled, as a single tear fell down her face. She _had_ to do it. But he looked just like his father, Chuck. Her baby boy had dark brown hair, which was already beginning to thicken. He had round, puppy dog brown eyes and tiny fingers. He had a bit of a Sarah-ish face, but reminded her a lot of Chuck. She sobbed without meaning to. The taxi driver looked around, a worried expression written on his wrinkled face.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked with a heavy British accent.

Sarah nodded and wiped away her tears. _'Calm down, Sarah,' _she thought. _'You're doing this to protect him from the spy world. It's going to be fine.'_

"We're almost there, miss," said the driver. Sarah nodded again and wrapped her baby boy in a scarf that belonged to his father. She smiled in spite of herself and started unbuckling herself from the taxi.

"Well, miss. We're here," said the driver and looked expectantly at her. "Take care."

Sarah got out and put on her coat over her baby boy, protecting him from the thunderous rain. She ran to the other side of the road and knocked at the door of house number 47. She could hear screaming from inside.

"ROB! You get it!"

"God damn it, Jane! That'll be _your_ best friend, so why don't YOU ANSWER IT!"

"FINE THEN! I'm going."

The door opened and a slim woman with dark brown hair and green eyes stood in the doorway. She was attractive, but her dressing gown was in tatters. She seemed like a very nice person. Sarah sure hoped so. She didn't want her baby boy to be put into care as soon as she went back to Burbank.

"Sarah! I'm so sorry, did you hear that? I can get…have you been crying?"

Sarah nodded as tears trickled slowly down her soft cheeks. Jane flung her arms around Sarah to keep her warm and whispered into her ear.

"There there, Sarah. It's okay," said Jane in a worried voice.

Sarah sniffed, but stopped crying. "I've got…someone to give you, Jane. If it's okay with you I'd like you to look after my baby boy, while I'm still an agent." Jane was one of the few civilians that knew Sarah's true profession and was loyal; she would never tell anyone. Jane just nodded and gently took Sarah's baby boy away from her.

"Oh Sarah, he's adorable." Jane smiled at him. "Are you sure about this, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded.

"I mean, I understand about giving him to someone else to look after, but maybe someone in your own country?"

Sarah shook her head.

"Have you thought this through, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded.

"Is there not _anyone_ else that could take him?"

Sarah shook her head. She spoke, but the words were barely audible over her sobs. "His name's Jamie William Bartowski. Look after him. He's…my baby boy." Sarah said all this and nodded at the same time. Jane stared at her and smiled.

"Hey, Sarah. Listen to me: everything – is – going – to – be okay.

Sarah nodded and started to sob again, but this time her agent conscience told her to shut up and pull herself together. Sometimes her conscience could be so cruel. Sometimes life could be cruel. She said her farewells and returned to the taxi, where it had been patiently waiting.

The taxi driver had seen what went down and he thought that his customer had just given away her son for no reason. The bearded driver shook his head and said, "Where to, miss?"

"The airport," sniffed Sarah.

The driver nodded and started up the engine.

'_You'll see him in about ten years, Sarah. Chuck will make everything better. Maybe he'll give you a backrub, when you get home_.' She smiled and started to go to sleep. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Those words got quieter and quieter, as Sarah drifted off to sleep.

_Author's Note: Well, that's the prologue. Please review and stuff; means a lot. This will hopefully a 10-chapter story. Maybe less, maybe more._


	2. Abandoning Sarah

Author's Note: I realise that the prologue left some unanswered questions and I'm going to answer some of them. Okay, first up Sarah couldn't tell Chuck, because he would freak. Second, Sarah couldn't give the baby to Ellie and Devon to look after it, because Ellie doesn't know about the spy world and Sarah would have to give a reason why she's giving the baby to her. Third, Sarah gave the baby to someone in England, because I live in England, but that's not really an excuse. Okay, Sarah put him in England, because if it were close to America the Ring would find out about him and use him against Sarah.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I own any original characters. So there._

_SEASON 4!_

ORANGE ORANGE - 2023

**BURBANK, CALIFORNIA**

**4:56PM**

Jamie. That was all Sarah could think about. She hadn't seen his face properly for 13 years. She'd seen pictures and even spoke on the phone to him once, when she couldn't bear it any longer. She had phoned him and she knew it was wrong, but he was her baby boy. She and Chuck were almost finished with the spy world and she could almost see her baby boy, properly, for the first time in 13 years.

'_He doesn't know. He doesn't know_.'

And that was another thing Sarah couldn't stop thinking about. Chuck doesn't know about the baby being in England. Chuck thought the baby had died, at the beginning of 2011, in a car crash on the highway. Sarah's eyes brimmed with tears at the thought that she had lied to him. She'll tell him. She _has_ to tell him. At that moment, the bell ringed. She looked up and saw him.

'_Tell him now. No don't. Tell him. DON'T_!'

For once, Sarah didn't know what to do and it hurt. There Chuck was, a heart-melting smile fixed on his face, looking as always like he had just won the lottery. She couldn't help it. She smiled back; his smile was just so infectious.

"Hey, beautiful. I've got something for you," Chuck said, his smile never faltering, as he kissed Sarah's cheek softly. They had been together for a little over 10 years and lived with each other, but when they touched Sarah still couldn't get over that feeling of content that she knew he had as well. Sarah sighed without making it obvious. His smile was going to falter soon, when she told him.

"What is it, Chuck?" She took his hands in hers. After thinking for a bit, she shook her head. "Actually, I've got something to tell you first, Chuck. This can't wait." This _won't_ wait, she told herself.

"Unless it's 'I love you, Chuck. You're the greatest' I'm going to have to show you this first." Chuck laughed. He could be so determined. Well, you're going to have to be determined too, Sarah Walker.

"Chuck. Listen. This…is about Jamie."

Chuck's face fell and his smile faltered like she knew it would, but he pulled himself together and continued regardless. "I…don't. I won't talk about Jamie right now." He tried smiling again, but this time it was only half-heartedly. "I really, _really_ want to give you this, Sarah."

"No, Chuck. Jamie wasn't killed in a car crash. He's alive, Chuck." She waited for a few seconds and held her breath. Bad thing to do. You shouldn't have told him.

Chuck couldn't believe it. His hands shook slightly as he looked around for some inspiration to say something. How could he have been so stupid? Agents of the CIA were selfish. Obviously Sarah had never wanted Chuck. She just wanted her baby. And now, when everything seemed happy, Sarah had dropped the bomb. A bomb that utterly destroyed Chuck's love for her.

"So. You've been keeping him from me then, that it? _13 years, Sarah_! You never wanted _me_. You just wanted a baby, that it? Get a baby from me, then just walk away with it, leaving me to wonder why the hell I'd been so…so _stupid_, is that it? _13 years_! You thought I wouldn't care, that it? What were the last 13 years for, then, fun? A break from the spy world? Why did you continue to lie to me for 13 bloody years! Sarah why? Please tell me, you owe me that much! Actually, you owe me much more, but as I'm a greater person than you, you can owe me that. Not to mention, you've deprived our boy of a father." Chuck suddenly looked suspicious. "Unless you've replaced me with another father? That it? You know what? Forget it, we're done."

Chuck stood in front of Sarah, his fists clenched, his entire body shaking with fury and sadness. Sarah could feel a few tears trickle down her smooth cheeks as she tried to shake her head. She wanted the tears to stop. She wanted Chuck to stop this little rant of his. It was stupid. Of course she loved him. How can he not have seen that these past years?

"Chuck, I…" Sarah began, but didn't really know where to finish. Besides, Chuck interrupted her.

"No, Sarah. Don't say you love me, 'cause you don't. You've missed your chance to say that. 'No more lies', you said. I thought I loved you, Sarah. Well guess what? I don't love you anymore. Not that you would care, because you never even loved me anyhow!" Chuck's eyes were completely hard and he meant every word. This empty shell of a woman had given him everything he could possibly want. Then she had snatched it all away from him in a matter of minutes. Chuck sighed and walked away.

"Guess you don't want _this_, then!" He slammed his gift on a table and she heard glass breaking. He turned and shut the door. That was the worst 5 minutes Sarah had ever experienced.

Sarah sobbed and sat on the counter, not bearing to open her closed eyes. Not bearing to listen to anything. She had just lost the love of her life and ruined his life in the process. 'Idiot.'

She sniffed and decided that now would be a good time to clean the counter again. How could she have been so stupid? She shouldn't have told him. But then, when was Chuck going to find out? No, you should have told him sooner. He might have agreed. Oh whom was she kidding; he would have freaked out.

Sarah suddenly remembered Chuck's gift lay waiting on the table nearest the door, wanting and waiting for someone to pick it up. She slowly walked towards the gift. She gasped. He had left a framed collage of many pictures of them together. There was one from the first Halloween they had spent with each other, there was one from the beach holding a smiling baby, there was one of them kissing each other, there was one of them having lunch and grinning, one of Morgan giving Chuck a hi-five, there was one of Chuck holding Sarah in his arms, one of Ellie cooking dinner with Sarah trying to be helpful in the background. What made it hurt more was that Sarah remembered every one of the photos and she cried miserably. Tears dropped like bombs in a war onto the already-cracked picture framed. Water cascaded onto the table like the Niagra Falls in Canada. And sobs echoed around her in the empty Orange Orange. It was as if every thing around her had turned hostile and was taunting her every move. She wanted them to go away. She wanted Jamie to be with her. But she wanted Chuck to love her the most. Her Chuck.

Sarah just didn't know what to do and it hurt.

CASA WOODCOME

**BURBANK, CALIFORNIA**

**5:28PM**

Chuck lay on his old bed, his head in his head. He couldn't bear to go home to the house he shared with Sarah. He was crying loudly. Ellie and Devon were out and he was glad. If they were here he'd have to tell him all about his break up with Sarah. He would quit his technology business. He would leave everything behind, including Sarah. He would run. No, he couldn't do that, the CIA and NSA would find him. '_No point in that_', Chuck thought.

He sighed and got up to put music on. He hated the thought that Sarah was with his son right now. He hated the thought that Sarah had lied to him for 13 years. _13 years_! He put on his iPod and listened. He didn't really care what was on, just as long as it took his mind off Sarah and Jamie. '_I need to do another mission_.'

His phone started to ring. He turned his head towards it and scowled. It was Sarah. He let it continue ringing and smiled, satisfied. She would never speak to him, unless it was on a mission. He was done with her. One very big lie had broken their relationship. Chuck got up and started pacing his room. He wanted to smash everything he could see. The reason? Sarah had abandoned him. His phone started to ring again. He leant down and picked it up. Another sigh escaped from his mouth. It was Sarah again. He accepted the call, but didn't talk.

"Chuck? I know you're really mad with me, but I still love you, Chuck. I want to be with you. Please, come home. Please. I'm picking up Jamie tomorrow, after tonight's mission, and I want you to be there too. Chuck? Chuck, don't be like this. I…talk to me. I'll do anything." Silence. "Charles Irving Bartowski, if you don't talk in 2 seconds I'll…I'll. I'm sorry Chuck. I'm really sorry, Chuck. Please, I'll do anything for you."

Chuck didn't say anything. He thought this was another lie. Or maybe a white lie? Either way it was a lie, so he snorted and hung up. He could hear Sarah gently sobbing right before he did. Now he felt guilty, but he carried on pacing. He couldn't forget the hurt on Sarah's face as he left her in the Orange Orange. He still loved her, but he didn't want to. Not after this. Not ever.

CASTLE

**BURBANK, CALIFORNIA**

**8:19PM**

Overall, Chuck had missed 94 calls from Sarah and didn't actually care. _She_ had broken _his_ trust; there was no reason to feel guilt. He was in Castle for one reason – a mission. He hoped it wouldn't involve him being with Sarah. He couldn't stand that and he doesn't want that, because she doesn't need him anymore. He glanced up as he heard footsteps. He nodded in greeting to the muscular form of Colonel John Casey. Casey grunted.

"Heard what Walker did and I looked at all surveillance footage I could." Casey grunted a bit quieter. "Turns out, she went to England 13 years ago. Presumably to drop off your boy. I'm sorry, Chuck."

Chuck was in shock. "England? What the hell was she thinking?" Casey just grunted.

"Chuck, you should steer well clear of the CIA. You can't always expect them to keep their word. Walker's just proof." Chuck nodded. "Thanks, Casey."

Sarah cleared her throat. She had heard their little discussion and hoped Chuck would understand.

"CIA can't be trusted?" She shook her head. "It was an _NSA_ agent the shot all four of his team members that led to him becoming a leading role in the Ring about 3 years back. That's why the NSA can't be trusted."

"Walker, don't br -"

The screen beeped and General Beckman's face appeared before Team Bartowski. Noticing Sarah and Casey's faces, she leant forward with more of a frown on her face than usual.

"Anything wrong, Agent Walker? Colonel Casey?"

"No, ma'am." They both shook their heads. Sarah glared at Casey who grunted back. Chuck, noticing the looks, stepped in the middle of them.

Beckman frowned and her wrinkles became more inclined. "Right. Anyway, we have received Intel that the Ring Elders are throwing a lavish party to cover up the trading of weaponry to various enemy ambassadors from all over the world. Also note that this will be the last mission for all three of you, so I want it done to the best of your ability, _which_ is quite high I might add. Chuck and Agent Walker will enter as a married couple and appear friendly."

Chuck gulped. "General, I think it would be best if Casey entered, instead of me, as a married couple, because Sarah and I…" He glanced over at Sarah who looked at the floor. "…Have had a bit of a falling out."

Beckman sighed softly. "Bartowski, Walker. What happened, then? I thought you were together. Weren't you going to propose, Chuck?" Chuck steamed and Sarah blushed. She certainly had ruined the chances of that ever happening. Beckman glanced between the two of them. "Apparently not, then. And as you may have noticed, Colonel Casey is too old to be gallivanting around with Walker. It won't look natural! And besides, this mission is much too important to get messed up. Do I make myself clear, Bartowski!"

"Yes, General. So very, very clear. We're perfectly clear." As he said this he nodded his head, just in case Beckman didn't get that he was clear. Sarah stifled a laugh, but blushed when Chuck turned an angry eye in her direction.

"Good. Now go and prepare!" Beckman ended the briefing and Team Bartowski could breathe properly once again.

"So, you two little lovebirds have a mission together." Casey smirked. Chuck scowled, which made Casey chuckle. "This should be fun." Casey was back to old, grunting, careless Casey. Typical. Chuck kinda liked that caring Casey who only came out for a few minutes, like before the briefing with Beckman.

Casey walked off laughing, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone for the first time since the Orange Orange. Sarah started to walk towards Chuck.

"Chuck, I need to explain why I did…what I did," she said slowly.

"Sarah, I know perfectly well why you did it. You did it, because you want to make me feel bad. Because you don't want me. Because you used me." Chuck sighed and shook his head. "If you really love me you're going to have to find someway to prove it. But I'm going to take a lot of persuading."

Sarah smiled. She took a step closer. She made sure Chuck had a chance to breathe in her scent, before going in for the kill. She jumped up and kissed Chuck full on the lips. Chuck widened his eyes and staggered backwards, but managed to fight Sarah off.

"Not – that – way!" Chuck snapped. "Not that way until you find a way to make me believe it's for real."

"But it is for real, Chuck," Sarah begged. "I love you. It's always been for real. Please, come back to me. Jamie and I need you. Please." The last word was barely a whisper.

Chuck shook his head and whispered, "Pathetic," and stalked off.

Sarah cried when he was out of sight and vowed to make everything better. '_The mission. It's going to be important in more ways than one. Chuck's not going to forget this one. He won't know what hit him_.'

Author's Note: So, interesting. Compared to chapters on my other stories, this was quite long. Which is good, I s'pose. Hope you liked this chapter; next one shouldn't take as long to update. Review and stuff. Fuel my stupid addiction to the ultimate drug that is REVIEWS!

_Meh._

_I've changed it to make it a bit better too believe. Yes, Sarah still works at the Orange Orange, because that is just a government base, so there was no reason to change that. Chuck has his own business and Casey is retired from the Buy-More, but this is all their last mission as spies._


	3. Abandoning the NSA

_Author's Note: Sorry that I took so long to post this; I abandoned this story because I wrote chapter 1 so craply. I rewrote that, by the way, and that's been posted, so have a reread of that. Anyway, chapter 2!_

RING ELDERS' PARTY, 9:02PM

Chuck and Sarah walked hand-in-hand towards the entrance to the grand hotel that was to play host to a large number of civilians and Ring members alike. Chuck was reminded of the successful mission, to take down the Fornax Group 5 years ago, as he walked up to the hotel holding his former lover's hand. As this was Chuck, Sarah and Casey's last mission, they all wanted it to be to the best of their ability. Not only that but, this was one of the most important missions that _anyone_ had ever been on. Beckman had explained everything, including why they were the only team on this mission and numerous other facts, as well. They stopped walking just outside the doors and turned to face each other.

"Are you ready for this, Chuck?" Sarah asked as she straightened Chuck's crooked bow tie.

Chuck sighed. "Do I have a choice, '_darling_'?" He emphasised the 'darling' bit and turned away from Sarah.

"There's always a choice." She looked at the floor. "There's still a choice with _us_, Chuck."

Chuck glared at her. Maybe there was, but he didn't want to make it. Sarah had ruined his life and she knew it, as well. She was wrong if she thought they could get back together this soon. In fact, she was wrong if she thought that they could get back together ever! He shuffled his feet and looked Sarah in the eye. She was still waiting for him to say something and a lonely tear was making its way down her cheek.

"I've made my choice, Sarah."

"Well, it's the wrong one." Sarah linked arms with Chuck and began dragging him inside the building, whilst trying to avert Chuck's gaze from her glistening tears that were threatening to spill down her face.

"How do you know I wasn't going to say 'I still love you'?"

Sarah immediately stopped and twisted Chuck's body to face her. "Really?"

Chuck laughed. "No, not really. Not yet, anyway." Chuck was sure Sarah was about to cry, then and there, but she regained her composure and carried on walking.

"So, this is, in theory, a simple mission in which we identify the Elders and unleash the Casey on 'em?"

Sarah smiled in spite of the situation. "Yeah, but we can fight perfectly fine as well. Even you, without the Intersect 3.0, can fight fine."

"Yeah, you're right." They had just walked into the building, now, and it was very grand indeed. "Whoa! Expensive place, right?"

Even Sarah, who had been to several fancy hotels, had to nod her head in awe at the amazing sight that greeted their eyes when they turned the corner.

There were at least one hundred tables, each stacked high with expensive-looking food and assorted garments. These foods included meat, fish, pastry, even desserts and many help-yourself-drinks as well. The tablecloths were embedded with real gold and had a nice polished look about them. The curtains around the room hung loosely and housed many patterns, which snaked around the fabric like a river in the light of a golden sunset. Dozens of people were laughing, dancing, talking, eating and drinking. Lots of them were around the bar area, which was divided up into different areas themselves.

"Good party. Come on, let's find the Elders and take 'em out." Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand and started whisking them away towards the bar area. Sarah nodded and allowed Chuck to casually guide her over to the bar.

Chuck looked around, trying to find someone or something to flash on. So far: nothing. Sarah's blue eyes scanned the room, in the hope of seeing anything that could either help or hinder them, whilst they moved. So far: nothing. They had almost reached the bar and beginning to feel uneasy when, they heard a man's loud grunt and a woman's shriek coming from a room to their right.

Chuck tightened his grip of Sarah's hand and dragged her into a corner that was slightly hidden from view. He whispered into Sarah's ear and her eyes widened.

"You don't think…?"

"How many other people do you know with a grunt like that?" Sarah looked blank. "Exactly, Sarah. Well, there's only one way to find out. Come on."

He drew his concealed gun from his suit pocket and so did Sarah from Chuck's other pocket. Her finger's brushed Chuck's ass as she retracted her hand from his pocket. Chuck gasped.

"Can't even pull a gun without trying to turn me on, eh? Well, it's not going to happen for sometime."

"Listen to me, okay? It hurts me to know that you don't want me anymore, but whatever happens in that room I just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt _you_."

With that, she gently kissed his forehead and turned the handle of the door slowly, so as to not alert whoever might be lurking in the room. Chuck looked shocked all the while and remained where he was. Sarah could clearly see the sadness in his eyes and knew she was making him remember all those times with them together. She sighed and pushed opened the door, ran in and held her gun in front of her. Chuck quickly followed suit and held his gun aloft. The room they found themselves in was quite stunning. Stunningly white, anyway. They looked around and could see nobody.

"There's…there's nobody here," said Chuck looking around and swivelling his body as he did so. "This has to be some kind of mistake. I mean, come on, we heard sounds."

Sarah was quite frustrated. She knew what she heard and this room contradicted that. "Maybe there's some sort of secret base. Look around, Chuck, make sure we're not missing anything."

Chuck nodded and put his gun in his pocket. '_Considering I couldn't flash on anything in the hotel, the secret base thing is most probably right. Trust Sarah to know things like that. I was out of ideas. Some spy I am_,' Chuck thought, as he rummaged around the floor. He traced his fingers around each of the white tiles on the right wall of the room, while Sarah did the same on the other side. He knew this was either a major discovery or a major disaster. Suddenly, he heard Sarah call his name and he whirled around, drawing his gun as he did so.

"Chuck! I think I've found it!"

Chuck sighed and holstered his gun. "Geez, Sarah, you almost gave me a heart attack. Don't scream like that again, alright?" The last bit was said in a more concerned, stern tone of voice.

Sarah blushed and said she was sorry. "But right now, what matters is this base." '_And me trying to get you back_.'

She lifted the bit of floor that was concealing an old wooden trapdoor. Chuck smirked when he saw the trapdoor.

"What, Chuck?"

"Well, nothing really, just that you'd think the Ring would be able to afford more luxurious trapdoors, considering that they're having a party just to our left."

Sarah smiled. "I suppose so." Her face turned more spy-ish, when she heard the door creak.

"Chuck," she whispered and nodded towards the door, which was ever so slightly opening. Chuck drew his gun for the third time in five minutes and prepared to fire. What he saw completely surprised him. A very young teenage couple, kissing each other, fell into the room holding each other's hands. They moaned on the floor and embraced the other's body. Sarah had already recoiled and put her gun away. She hissed at Chuck and motioned for him to put his gun away; and fast. Chuck didn't listen; he was transfixed on the sight before him. He and Sarah used to do that! Suddenly, the couple on the floor looked up and saw the gun pointed at them in Chuck's hands. The female teenager's face went pale and the male teenager's hand went to his mouth straight away. They both screamed. They both screamed as loudly as they could. Chuck was sure his earlobes would burst at this. It was worse than when Casey had demonstrated his choir performance from when he was younger. That was dreadful according to Chuck! He had earned a hard punch in the gut for saying that to Casey! Anyway, the couple screamed so much that almost every civilian rushed into the room. It was at that point that Chuck flashed on a bald man with a slightly burnt neck.

Fernando Cruzolos

Ex-Fornax Group leader

Ring Elder since 2018

Supposedly died of liver failure in 2020, but he faked his death when his old identity of Gary Raptor was found out

Ring codename: Tri-athlete, because he uses three heavy weapons at once

44,078 murdered at his hand

Operation Firefly: his Ring operation that earned him the status of Elder

Chuck gasped for breath. "Sarah! We've got to go! NOW! Into the trapdoor! Go, go, go!" He pushed Sarah down, took a deep breath and jumped in himself, grabbing the trapdoor down with him.

"Sarah! Oh shit, are you okay?"

Sarah groaned and held her knee. She had obviously fallen on it. "Dammit, Chuck! Why didn't you put your gun away! You could have got us killed! What were you thinking?"

Chuck bit his lip. Should he tell her what he was thinking? He probably should, but he didn't. "I…I. Err…"

"I'm waiting, Chuck." Sarah looked very stern and was tapping her fingers against the cold metal floor that they had both fallen onto.

"I…no comment."

Sarah gaped. "That's it? No comment? Really, Chuck?"

"Yeah. Really." He extended his hand and hauled her up. She grimaced as her knee straightened.

"Let me take a look at that knee, Sarah." Chuck bent down and reached into his pocket, all the while gazing at her knee. Sarah's heart stopped. Is he about to..? No, he can't be, can he? Is he going to _propose_?

Chuck reached into his back pocket and brought out a first aid kit. '_Oh_.' So much for an anticlimax. She hid her disappointment and let Chuck address her wound. She flinched when he covered her knee with a grey bandage. She winced when Chuck helped her up. She almost cried when Chuck tapped her knee to see if it was any better. It unfortunately wasn't so Chuck carried her to a safe distance from the trapdoor, which was being hammered by no doubt the Elder that Chuck had flashed on. An Elder! He had to tell Sarah!

"Oh yeah, just remembered, there was an Elder in the room when those people screamed. His name's Fernando Cruzolos and he used to run the Fornax Group. Heard of him?"

Sarah shook her head as she laid on the floor.

"I thought as much. Does the name Tri-athlete ring any bells, there, Sarah?"

Sarah thought hard about the name, but drew a blank so she shook her head again and lifted her knee up slightly.

"I thought _that_ as well. Well, he supposedly died of liver failure in 2020, but faked his death 'cause his old identity had been found out. He is, obviously, very dangerous as is the other Elders, who have yet to be identified."

"Right." Sarah still looked blank. She didn't know Fernando Cruzolos.

"Well, he is an Elder so, yeah, it's understandable that you don't know him." Chuck glanced up when he heard the alarm of the supposedly secret base go off. "I think this is our cue to go and destroy this base and find Elders and kill 'em."

Chuck helped Sarah up and off they went.

SURVEILLANCE VAN 9:27PM

Casey had been watching Bartowski and Walker's progress in the van and he was wondering whether to make his move now. They had certainly bought that he was on their team. He thought that now was a great time to take them out. It was a shame the bearded moron had died four years ago; otherwise he could have stayed in the surveillance van so Bartowski and Walker wouldn't get suspicious. '_Oh well. Do it anyway. I'm going to enjoy killing the moron_.'

True, Casey _had_ been Bartowski's friend, but that was before he had let Alex Coburn, his daughter, die.

He grabbed his old Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun and Walther P99 Pistol, closed the door and headed for the Ring entrance below the hotel.

_**Author's Note: OH MY GOD! Casey's a Ring agent! I know, I know it's a bit weird, but get used to the fact that I'M WEIRD! Mwahahaha! Don't worry Charah fans, they will get back together, but it's going to take a bit of persuasion from their son when they get him back in the next few chapters. Sorry that Alex and Morgan are dead in this fic: won't happen again - I promise! Review this by clicking that inviting little blue button just below here. Oh and one more thing: meh.**_


	4. Abandoning the story: Jamie interlude

Author's Note: This is just a short interlude with the newest addition to the Bartowski clan, Jamie! Because you were dying to know what he's like, right? And besides, I had a stupid writer's block on the mission! 'Cause that wasn't even supposed to be in the story! But my very awesome imagination got the better of me and you know the rest. Anyway, time to meet Jamie William Bartowski!

_Oh yeah: Disclaimer: I own no part of NBC, Chuck or any of the original characters and organizations. I _do_ own Jamie, so BACK OFF! Joking…geez. But seriously…_

_Anyways…_

JANE'S HOUSE, ENGLAND, SURREY

Jamie William Stanton (Author's Note: Remember he doesn't know that he's a Bartowski yet) sat playing Guitar Hero, in his bedroom, and thought about life. He thought everything was pretty good right now. I mean, he had just asked the most beautiful girl out in the world and she had said yes! Well, actually she said 'alright then' but let's not ruin the moment, shall we? He paused the game and got off his really comfy chair to walk to his mirror. He was a handsome lad, with light brown hair that was flicked across his head and lightly tanned skin. All the girls in his year thought that he had the best smile, but his mother refused to tell him where he inherited his smile from considering that neither her nor Jamie's father had a good smile. No offence to his mother, of course. He scowled at himself in the mirror. He even had a nice-ish scowl! Well, he was very good-looking…and vain. He glanced around his room and smiled. Amy, the most beautiful girl ever, was going to love this place! Or so he hoped. His room was tidy, quite big and was welcoming. The shelves were filled with books, fiction and non-fiction. The desk at the far side of the room played host to his large plasma TV screen. He was very proud of that, because he was the first of his friends to get one. Standing next to the TV was an Xbox 720 with a very small stack of video games piled on it. He knew he might have just wasted his money on the TV, when he could have got a lot of games instead. Ah well. He sat back down on his chair and picked up the plastic guitar. The game resumed and he carried on his winning streak.

3 HOURS LATER

"Jamie! Come off there now. You've been on there for far too long."

Jamie sighed as he carried on playing. He had only played what felt like 24 songs on Guitar Hero.

"Alright!" He called back to his mother. He had almost finished the song, which was by a new band called the Hooligans, when his tired mother came stomping up the stairs.

"Jamie! I thought I told you to come off."

"You did," said Jamie not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Then why aren't you doing it?" His mother glared at him. "Come off. Now!"

"I fucking am!" He protested.

"Your not."

"Am."

"Not."

"Am!"

"NOT! Get off now before I get your father up here."

Jamie jumped up and obediently pulled the plug to the Xbox. He loathed his father with every ounce of his being. His father, Rob, was a drunken bastard who had left his family, but then came back last year. He was now even more drunk and beat Jamie for fun. Jamie had since learnt to defend himself and was all right at kung fu. He had used kung fu, to the delight of many girls, to win tournaments and trophies that hung up on his wall. Rob Stanton was certainly the vilest man Jamie had ever met.

"And one more thing, Jamie, a friend of mine is visiting tomorrow. Her name's Sarah and she and I are good friends. You'll like her." '_You'd better like her; she is your mother_.'

Jamie nodded and left his room, pulling out his shabby phone as he did so.

"Where are you going, Jamie?"

"Out."

"Yes, but where?"

"Don't know yet. I'm ringing Ben and see if he wants to go out. I'll be back soon, though, don't piss yourself, Mum."

"Alright, but don't hurt yourself. Last time you went out you…"

Jamie cut her off with one word: "Shit!"

"What?" Jane put her hands on her hips and stared at her 'adopted' son.

Jamie threw his phone on his desk and ran out the room, shouting to his mother as he raced downstairs.

"I've got to get ready for my date; can't go out!"

Jane laughed. "You do that, but be quick; you've wasted so much time on the Xbox, you don't actually have that much time left. Amy will be here in roughly…" She looked at her watch. "Ooh, in one and a half hours." She glanced up and smiled at her 'son'. Which reminded her…

"Oh, one more thing, Jamie?"

Jamie looked up from the mirror. "Yeah?"

"My friend's coming tomorrow. She'll be going for a…walk with you, so be good. Her name is Sarah. She's as good as gold; so don't be bad to her. She's done some…bad stuff in the past and she might say sorry to you, first off."

Jamie frowned. Saying sorry to someone as soon as you meet them seems a bit weird to him. "Okaaay. She sounds a bit weird, d'you mind me saying that?"

Jane frowned, also, but not in a confused way. In a stern way. "No, that's not alright. She is _very_ nice and should be treated as such, okay?"

"Okay, Mum. Could you, err, leave because I'm kinda getting…" He pointed to himself, the mirror and his pile of his 'date-clothes'.

Jane smiled and left the room. Her smile dropped as soon as she reached her room. She had to give Jamie back to Sarah. Should she? Of course she should, she's Sarah best friend and her 'son' was actually Sarah's son. It would be completely wrong for Jamie not to know his own proper family. But really, should she? She had become so attached to him. She loved him like the son she never had and she thought he loved her too. Maybe it was wrong, giving him back, because he only knew _this_ family. And then there was the case of him having to live in a new country, new school, new house, new people and no one person he knew. She needs to make a choice. She needs to make the right choice and she needs to make it now.

Author's Note: Hope you liked this little interlude and I hope you liked Jamie, too. He is based a little on me and some of my friends. I've decided to make a sequel on this story, as well. When this story is finished, suggestions for the sequel would be greatly appreciated. I'll pick the best and the person who wins will get a little shoutout in the first chapter of the sequel. Keep reading, reviewing and improving all your stories! :D Thanks!


	5. Abandoning his friends and the Ring base

Author's Note: This chapter took a hell of a long time to right and I really hope it's fine, 'cause I rewrote it at least 2 or 3 times! Chapter 3, people! Or Chapter 5! Or something else, just read! Oh yeah: disclaimer. The usual stupid rules apply, where I don't own Chuck but I do own any original characters in the fic. And I'm sorry, Casey-fans, you probably won't like this Casey. I, myself, am a Casey fan, but he's horrible in this fic. Not in my others, though.

And I'm really sorry this took donkey's years to write, it's just that a lot of schoolwork and a lack of interest can really get you down. Sadface. Thanks for sticking with this story, and all. You're all great.

…...

RING BASE, RING PARTY, CALIFORNIA, 9:23PM

"Ow! Careful, Chuck!"

Sarah winced as her injured knee bumped into a wall, causing her to hold Chuck's neck tighter. He would probably have a mark there later.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah. Are you hurt? I mean, are you hurt more?" Chuck carefully put Sarah on the floor and bent down to examine Sarah's knee. As he did so, Sarah pressed him closer. Chuck tensed but allowed Sarah to bring him closer.

"See for yourself." She curled his hair, which was somewhat straighter then when she had first met him, in her fingers. She heard Chuck grind his teeth together and pulled back.

"Sorry. I didn't realise…I." She sighed. "Carry me, Chuck?"

Chuck straightened up with the speed of a frightened gazelle. "What?"

Sarah frowned in a confused way. "My knee is probably broken or worse. Carry me. I thought it was quite simple, Chuck." She looked at Chuck and pleaded, wordlessly, with her eyes. '_How can I ever resist those little, beautiful blue orbs of…stop Chuck. You can't possibly forgive her already, can you_?'

"I…yeah, right, sorry Sarah." He scooped her up and set off again down the seemingly endless Ring corridor. Sarah smiled and wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck. When she started to nibble his neck, Chuck stopped.

"What now?" she asked, quite impatiently.

"You know 'what now'. We're past kissing each other, except on missions."

Sarah pouted. "This _is_ a mission."

"Sarah, when we're on a mission that is required for us to kiss, then it's fine. Right now, when we don't have to sell our cover, it's not fine so please: stop."

Sarah didn't bother to hide her disappointment. That last word stung. 'STOP'. "I'm sorry, it's just…I was so used to kissing you all over. I…it's hard for me to cope, Chuck." She looked him in the eyes. "It's hard coping being without you."

Chuck sighed. He desperately wanted to tell her the reason why he couldn't put his gun away, earlier. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't cope being without her as well. That he still loved her, despite her horrible lie. But he couldn't, because that same lie was just too unforgivable. She had taken Jamie away from him. For 13 years. Albeit, away from her as well, which just doubled the horribleness of her act.

"It's…" he was about to speak, when an enemy agent appeared around the corner. Chuck gracefully swung Sarah onto his back and skilfully drew his gun. He pointed it at the agent, who by this time had drawn his gun, and fired. Aiming for the enemy's shoulder, the bullet whooshed through the air and its aim was true. The agent cried out and toppled over. Chuck ran to him, trying not to jog Sarah much, and kicked him hard in the gut. The agent grunted and clutched his stomach with one hand and his bloody shoulder with the other.

"Direct us to the information room, please. Do you have an information room? It's probably called something more fancy than that. Doesn't matter, direct us to it. We need to know the names of your Elders."

The agent, a flash caused Chuck to know that he was Bryan Derrick, coughed up blood and spluttered. "I'll never talk. And I didn't know there _were_ any Elders," he added, between wheezing.

Sarah smirked from Chuck's back. This Ring agent _will_ talk and she knew it.

Chuck smiled, a look of pity on his face. "Incorrect answer, Bryan Derrick. You _will_ talk. Thanks to this noggin' of mine," he tapped his head, supporting Sarah with one arm. "I know exactly who your friends are, your family, your pet rabbit. I could have them killed in a moments notice. With one call," he touched his jacket pocket for emphasis, "all the people you know could suffer a painful accident. Unless you tell us where to go. So, Agent Derrick, which way to the information room?"

Derrick looked stunned. He gaped at Chuck for several minutes, which made Chuck chuckle, before slowly turning over to face the floor. "I don't know how you know all that," he said, his voice a little shaky. "But I hate you now." His forehead touched the floor as his shoulder spurted out yet more blood.. "And I still won't talk," he added quickly.

Chuck grinned. "Thanks, buddy." Chuck straightened and turned his back on the writhing form of Bryan Derrick.

Derrick turned over again. "I…didn't tell you a-anything." He looked a little confused. "Did I?"

"You didn't, but it _does_ mean I get to use this."

He hadn't pocketed his gun and he aimed it at his foot, which caused the man to hold his hands out in surrender. Not daring to take his eyes off the gun, he raised a shaky hand and pointed left. Sarah grinned and hugged Chuck tighter. Chuck's smile dropped a little; he wasn't comfortable with Sarah's hands over him now, but regained his composure enough to nod his thanks, shoot Derrick in the forehead, instantly killing him, and walking in the direction that Derrick had so kindly indicated.

"He was definitely an amateur agent, wasn't he Sarah?"

"Reminded me of you when you first started," Sarah teased.

"Yes, well, I'm a killing machine now." Chuck looked smug. '_In a good way, of course_.'

Sarah stiffened. "Which is still something I don't like, Chuck. You haven't completely lost your nerd, but it's fading." She whispered into his ear: "I like that nerd. Don't lose it, please. Ever."

Chuck flinched as he felt her hot breath on his neck. He missed that. He didn't want to admit it, but he did miss it. He cleared his throat and pointed to the end of the corridor, where a plain silver door was in the middle of plain silver wall. Chuck thought it looked quite plain.

"I think that's our…oh shit." Chuck looked appalled as, roughly, 20 guards came out of the door. The man leading them was none other than their trusted friend, John Casey. '_What's this about_?' Chuck asked himself, but no answer came to him.

"Drop your weapons, Bartowski." Casey grunted, as Chuck dropped his gun, kicked it over to Casey and then, carefully, dropped Sarah to the ground.

Casey was Chuck's trusted friend. But he had sold him out. And Chuck and Sarah wanted to know why.

…...

ENGLAND, JANE'S HOUSE 10:00pm

Jamie sat on a homemade hammock in the garden of his house. The date with Amy hadn't gone well. He had found out that Amy was seeing someone else and had been playing him for a fool. '_Quite moping, Jamie, do something. Anything_.' Jamie decided that now would be a good time to scowl at a bug that was crawling up his leg. '_I meant do something productive. You can't continue being down in the dumps, doing nothing. Get up and do something productive_.' He squashed the bug with the palm of his hand. He half-heartedly smiled as he stretched out his arms and tried to get some shut-eye. '_Sleeping isn't going to solve your problems. Nor is scowling. Get up and do something_.' Jamie sighed and rolled off the hammock. He landed with a thump onto the patchy garden floor. Sometimes he hated the voice inside his head, but it was always right. Well, mostly. There was this one time where the voice had said to attack his history teacher, but he…okay stop dwelling on the past, Jamie.

As he walked into the house, he passed his best friend, Ben.

Ben had short black hair and slightly tanned skin. He was a bit scrawny, but made up for it in height. He was quite tall. He was funny and shared many common interests with Jamie. Unless they were aimed at him, Ben laughed at all of Jamie's jokes. He put up with Jamie's tendency to change moods and was definitely Jamie's best friend. They had known each other since primary school and were best buddies.

Jamie suspected that he used the 'Ben-entrance' to gain entry to Jamie's house. The entrance was a gap in the overgrown, overly tangled hedge in the front garden.

"Hey, Jamie. How are you? I mean, about the 'Amy' thing? Are you okay about it? I mean, that must have stung, right?"

"I'm…cool." Jamie turned back towards the house and looked at the floor. "I'm cool with it. The guy she was with was awesome. He was strong, but I bet he doesn't know kung fu." He smiled nervously and glanced at Ben. "Aside from that, the guy was better than me in every way. _Every_ way. I mean, c'mon Ben, do you strike me as a cool guy? That girls like Amy would like?" Jamie pointed at his chest and stared at his friend.

Ben shrugged. "You're an awesome friend, but I'm not so sure if you're that an awesome boyfriend. If you're asking me if you're attractive, I can only say no. If I said 'yes' then that would make me seem gay." Ben started walking with Jamie, as they headed for the house. "Which I'm not," Ben said hastily.

Jamie laughed. "I would never suspect you of being gay; you were all over Hayley at that party, weren't you?"

Ben blushed. He didn't want to remember what Hayley had said to him, that night, but 'pervert', 'cow' and 'weirdo' were fresh in his mind.

"She wasn't really in the mood," he said quietly. He looked at the floor, as Jamie raised his eyebrows and looked, altogether, disbelievingly at his best buddy..

"Right, anyway, what did you want?"

Ben seemed to brighten up, magically, and pointed to the low ceiling of the kitchen, which they had just entered.

"Xbox?"

Jamie nodded and they both smiled, as they trudged upstairs to Jamie's bedroom, where the Xbox 720 awaited them patiently.

…...

**RING INTERROGATION ROOM, RING BASE, CALIFORNIA, 10:16PM**

Chuck sat, his hands and legs bound, glaring at the man he had called 'trusted friend' for nearly 15 years. He couldn't believe it! John Casey, NSA agent, the biggest patriot the world had ever seen, and a former greatest friend had sold them out! Casey certainly had some serious explaining to do, but he didn't move his mouth that was fixed into an angry scowl. Chuck glanced at Sarah and saw that she was in a similar position and her horrified, shocked expression matched Chuck's. Finally, after what seemed like an age, Casey spoke.

"So, Bartowski, you're gonna be transferred to the Ring's main complex soon." He turned his head towards Sarah. "And you're gonna die. You've constantly got on my nerves, the both of you." He came right to Chuck's face and grunted. "Especially you, moron." Casey poked Chuck in the chest and delivered a nasty right hook to the face. Chuck flinched, but was able to withstand the pain. Sarah struggled against her bonds.

Casey chuckled. "Lovebirds, still huh? Stupid lady feelings get you killed, as I've tried to explain several times over these 15-or-so years. And I -."

"Why? Why, Casey? After all those said years, why'd you sell us out!" Chuck belted and turned his bleeding face to look at Casey, who looked like he was about to explode.

"One word. Alexandra Coburn. My daughter." He glared, angrily, at Chuck and punched his gut.

"That's actually _four_ words, but okay," Chuck managed to splutter as he felt blood trickle down his face. "You still upset about what happened 4 years ago?" When Casey displayed the biggest scowling face Chuck had ever seen and let out a horrible grunt that Chuck had never heard before, Chuck hastily carried on. "I mean, why wouldn't you be upset about Alex? She's your daughter, so, yeah, you care for her. Much like I would care for my kids. Err, and your kids and my friends and family and stuff. I…"

"Shut up, Bartowski."

"Right, shutting up now." Chuck did just that. Sarah didn't and spoke for the first time that evening.

"So now we've discovered why, who else turned? And how many other people did you have to lie to in order to get us here? How many innocents died because of you?"

Casey smirked. Walker could be so naïve. "Not many, just you, Bartowski, Beckman, the NSA, the Woodcombs, the CIA, even my mom and then there was that Agent Rythe guy." Casey grunted: satisfaction. "Not many." He grinned a hellish grin that Chuck and Sarah had never encountered before. Sarah tried hard not to flinch, but, eventually, she failed.

The silence that followed lingered on for way too long. It was Chuck that broke the deathly silence.

"If you've hurt my family in any way, I swear, I'll kill you!" His voice expressed the full volume of his anger and his bound hands shook with fury.

Casey just laughed. "You and who's army? Doesn't matter anyway and don't worry, Chuck. The only one I'm going to hurt is you and Walker."

Chuck stiffened. '_Not her. Not when I'm not over her yet_.'

Casey brought out a heavy, metal club and weighed it in his hands. He was deliberately doing it slowly to make Chuck and Sarah feel scared. And it was working. Sarah was a trained agent, but her legs were still quivering and Chuck was no better. In fact, he was probably slightly worse. His hands were twisting, trying to come loose of the bonds that tied him. Chuck's eyes were a mix of emotions, the top one being anger. There was also fear, pain and horror in his eyes. They never left the club in Casey's hands.

"Ready?" grunted Casey. Despite of the horrible situation, Chuck nodded sarcastically.

"Bring it on, Sugar Bear." Chuck flashed an unsure grin at Casey, who angrily growled. Sarah had to admire Chuck's bravery: it was ever-present, even in situations like this.

The first hit came as a complete shock to Chuck. It struck his shoulder and he winced in pain. His shoulder felt slightly out of place and hurt when Casey prodded it with the end of the club. The next hit was to the knee. Chuck cried out as he felt his kneecap break. He sneaked a quick glance at Sarah and it saddened him to see her in tears. Casey seemed to be enjoying this torture and continued more forcefully.

SMACK! A hit to the jaw was next.

SMACK! A shoulder dislocated.

SMACK! The next hit was to the groin.

Casey's laughing got louder with each hit, each scream, each tense.

"Casey! Casey, stop! Please!" Sarah shouted. "I beg of you, stop!"

Casey stopped in mid swing and turned his angry head towards Sarah. "You'd better have a good reason for stopping me torture your ex-boytoy!"

Sarah looked at Casey with tears threatening to overflow in her eyes. "He's had enough."

Casey smirked. "That it? Actually, you're right."

Sarah sighed contently. '_No more Chuck torture. Good_.'

"You haven't had any torture yet, though." Sarah's eyes widened slightly and her lips stiffened. Casey casually walked over to her and put his hand on her cheek. He caressed it (which made Chuck tense and struggle against his bonds), before slapping her backhanded. Her head rolled as a shiny, purple bruise started to appear on her otherwise smooth and flawless cheek. Her face was void of emotion; the mark of a great spy. Casey again hit her hard on her face as he laughed the deep Casey-laugh, which was usually reserved for 'mocking the moron'. When he brought back his fist for another swing, Sarah was ready. As his fist made contact with her stomach, she grabbed it with her high-heeled shoe, completely taking Casey by surprise. All through the torture, she had been trying to break the bonds tied around her ankles with her heeled shoes. Now her feet were free, she laid kick after kick on Casey. Chuck, for his part, just watched in awe at his ex-girlfriend kicking the crap out of his ex-friend. Her kicks were perfectly delivered. He doubled over and, in his haste, knocked Chuck's chair conveniently next to Sarah's chair. He gazed up at her, now that Casey was safely knocked out, and smiled; not just any smile, but the amazing smile that only the Bartowskis knew how to do. Sarah was entranced and stared into Chuck's soft, chocolate eyes. They stared at each other, feeling content, for several long minutes. Chuck brought them both out of their sudden trance.

"Think you could untie me or something?"

Sarah blinked. She had been so enchanted by Chuck. _Her_ Chuck. She nodded and stamped down in the middle of the lock that bounded Chuck's hands. She then motioned for him to pick the lock on her hands. He immediately obliged and freed Sarah, as she did the same with Chuck's feet. Chuck laughed nervously and glanced at the floor.

"That was quite a show, Sarah. Guess there was an advantage of high-heeled shoes, after all."

She chuckled with him. "Enough's enough, Chuck. Let's get out of here."

"Agreed," Chuck nodded sharply and gestured towards the slightly ajar door.

"Wonder why the door was left unlocked. Seems slightly out of place in this high-security Ring base thing, right?"

Sarah was equally uneasy and retrieved her gun. Chuck limped bravely with Sarah, as he pulled his gun out as well. He was barely breathing and his breaths came out in wheezes. They had to get out of there soon otherwise he would die.

…...

Author's Note: So how was the chapter? Review and let me know! Again, sorry it took ages. Thanks for sticking with me on this; I'm really grateful!

Meh.


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